Slavequestria
The Loop designated "Slavequestria" is an example of the extremes some variant Loops have been known to create. A one-shot written by Anowack, it is noted for its dark and twisted version of Equestria, which had a profound influence on several of the Loopers who encountered it. Synopsis Twilight Sparkle Awakens, and within less than a minute of doing so becomes furious beyond belief. In this Loop, Princess Celestia has made slavery completely legal within Equestria, even in what the Loopers consider the "modern day", with Twilight Sparkle herself not just being a slave, but her highness's own personal slave. In order to facilitate this, her Cutie Mark has been replaced by a magical slave brand in the style of Celestia's cutie mark. Twilight immediately ascends, shattering the brand completely, and seeking out her companions. Rainbow Dash is the nearest, the Pegasus being the slave of Prince Blueblood, and before her own Awakening, Dash had been planning on trying to force her way to freedom. The two quickly go after the next of their friends, Applejack, who is still in Ponyville. Once they arrive, the two discover that the town does not effectively exist, instead being a massive plantation owned by Filthy Rich. Despite finding Applejack quickly, the farmmare insists Twilight and Dash free the rest of her family, something the two instantly agree on. However, the time spent doing so allows guards to catch up with them, dashing Twilight's hopes that Celestia was Awake as well. The guards are quickly freed or removed, depending on their position, and the trio escape. Their next encounter is Fluttershy, who had escaped to freedom before she Awoke, and had been living wild in the Everfree, inside the old palace. Leaving the ponies they freed, the four travel north to find the rest of their friends. On the way there they meet up with Pinkie Pie, also freed, Awake and ascended and running an underground railroad of her own. Their next port of call is the Crystal Empire, by which point night has set, and given the fact that the moon has remained still, Nightmare Moon has reappeared on schedule. A depressing sight awaits at the empire itself, as it is still under the rule of King Sombra, serving as a vassal for Celestia. And worse still, several of the ponies are branded with Cadence's cutie mark. Before they can take any action, Cadence herself appears, quickly proving she's Awake as well. After quickly asking about Shining Armor, who hasn't yet appeared, the six are confronted by Sombra himself. And he's Cadence's husband. Sombra defiantly states that the alicorns cannot act against him, as he still holds the Crystal Heart... or not, as it's been replaced. Rarity makes her presence known, having been waiting for the right moment to make an entrance, her gem-finding spell having allowed her to retrieve the heart when used in conjunction with her Element. Cadance uses the opportunity to call upon the entire Crystal Empire, to use their love to vanquish Sombra once again. It works, and the tyrant is dispelled. The Heart and the Elements working together spread across the whole of Equestria, destroy every slave-brand in an instant. As it does, Twilight uses it to send a message to everypony, telling them not to perpetuate a cycle of hatred or violence. Reunited at last, the mares arrive at Canterlot, where Celestia and Nightmare Moon have put aside their differences and entered into an unsteady alliance to fight against the Element Bearers. Their first attacks scatter the friends, their second brings them crashing to the ground. Twilight finds herself at the hooves of her former "owner", who is genuinely confused and hurt at Twilight's "betrayal", and asks why she did it. Twilight refuses to tell her, reckoning that Celestia would never understand the answer. A battle is fought, and while not short, the outcome was never in doubt. Both royal sisters are banished to the moon, before Twilight makes it set. Some time later, Twilight receives a letter from several former slaves looking to return to their home. Together with Cadence, she travels to meet their leader, the wayward Shining Armor. A joyous reunion between them occurs, Shining not having seen his sister since they were foals. Cadence's attention, however, is drawn to Shining's companion. It's Chrysalis, queen of the Changelings, and Shining's wife. As the snip ends, Twilight ruminates how long it will take to convince Cadence to see the funny side of this proceeding. Trivia * This one-shot snippet was based on an idea the writer had, but had been unable to develop into a full-blown idea. * When Twilight and Rainbow Dash meet up, the two discuss what they think would have happened had they not Awoken when they did. Rainbow states she was to take part in gladiatorial games against Spitfire, and was planning to break free and take Twilight hostage. Given Twilight was studying teleportation magic, she guesses they likely would've made a break for freedom when Nightmare Moon arrived, before finding the rest of the friends and recovering the Elements. * The exact reason for Celestia's choice to enforce slavery is never given, nor is the exact time she took it, making it difficult to determine when the divergence from Baseline took place. * In a twisted piece of humor on the Loop's part, Twilight Awoke as she would in baseline, reading a book on the defeat of Nightmare Moon, though this version does not mention the Elements of Harmony. Indeed, given neither Celestia or Nightmare Moon recognize the artifacts, it's questionable whether they even knew about them at all. * The brands of the Apple family are noted to have a "mini-discording" effect that subdues rebellious thoughts, along with tracking spells and means of punishment. Given the existence of runaway slaves, this likely wasn't the norm for that Loop. * Spike's absence is noted to be because as a slave, Twilight was not allowed to take the entry test for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and therefore he hadn't been born yet. Continuity Notes * The unawake Celestia's horrific behavior remains with Twilight Sparkle for several Loops afterward, the mare feeling she had somehow let down her former teacher by not being able to do anything about the mad mare. * Some Loops later, Queen Chrysalis would turn out to be Looping, this Loop having been her Formative Loop. References * MLP Loops Chapter 24.4 Category:Loops Category:Equestria